Call for Evidence: Strategic Defence Review 2024

The Ministry of Defence recently released a call for evidence for the upcoming Strategic Defence Review. You can read more here. The following is my position statement in response to this call. This is a collective submission with Colleagues from King's College London.

The following contributed to this response: 

• Dr Daniel Leightley, Lecturer in Digital Health Sciences at King’s College London
• Professor Vasa Curcin, Professor of Health Informatics, King’s College London

This response has the following core themes:

• Theme 1 - Operational readiness and personnel sustainability: Prioritising the physical and mental health of personnel is essential for maintaining a capable Defence. By reducing the incidence of injury, long-term sickness (P0), and medical discharges, we can promote a healthier environment. Detecting condition onset, and delivering early intervention is key to this ambition.
• Theme 2 - Inclusive Force development: Promoting gender and health equality is essential for building a diverse, adaptable, and resilient Defence. This inclusivity is not only crucial for operational effectiveness but also strategically important given the global diversity and the nature of current conflict regions. By embracing diversity, Defence is better equipped to understand and operate effectively in varied cultural contexts and enhancing strategic success.
• Theme 3 - Force modernisation and skill enhancement: Investing in advanced training and education programs is critical to upskilling Defence personnel, which maintains Defence's long-term capability. This approach reduces dependence on external entities such as industry contractors or allied states, thereby strengthening Defence's autonomy and operational readiness. By focusing on internal skill development, Defence can maintain a highly capable and self-sufficient force, better prepared to meet future challenges independently or jointly with NATO.
• Theme 4 - Personnel retention and resilience: The most effective retention strategy is to make personnel feel valued and that the organisation values them. Optimising workload management, providing clear career progression, and offering recognition through improved pay and conditions are essential. By fostering a supportive environment where personnel feel appreciated and rewarded, they will naturally become Defence's strongest advocates, enhancing both retention and recruitment.
• Theme 5 - Optimised resource allocation: Maximising the use of Reserve Forces' civilian expertise for targeted mobilisation enhances operational flexibility and efficiency while significantly reducing overall costs. By effectively integrating civilian skillsets, Defence can achieve greater versatility in operations, minimise reliance on external contractors, and ensure a more cost-effective approach to meeting strategic objectives.
• Theme 6 - Research and development: While significant strides have been made in researching personnel health and wellbeing, these advancements are largely due to individual efforts rather than a coordinated organisational approach. Investing in dedicated, systemic research will align the UK with international best practices, ensuring that Defence remains competitive on the global stage. By institutionalising this focus, Defence can build on existing successes and foster a more sustainable and impactful research environment. An approach to this would be to create an organisational research strategy with key priority areas.

Describe the strategic, threat, and operational context for UK Defence 2024- 2050. 500 words.

The strategic environment facing the UK in the coming decades will be marked by a rapidly evolving global landscape, where conventional and unconventional threats will challenge UK Defence capabilities. A failure to recruit and retain personnel poses a significant threat, undermining the UK's ability to operate effectively on the world stage. This deficiency will weaken our standing in international alliances, particularly NATO, and encourage our adversaries who might exploit perceived weaknesses.

While technology and a professional standing fighting force is critical, the importance of maintaining sufficient numbers cannot be overstated. Conflicts in recent years has demonstrated that strength in numbers remains vital. The UK’s current Defence structure is insufficiently agile to match current demands, necessitating a more robust recruitment strategy, a focus on health & wellbeing and an expanded use of the Reserve Forces.

Our support of NATO is essential, but the UK must play an active and credible role within the alliance. A diminished capacity to contribute due to recruitment and retention challenges would not only reduce our operational effectiveness but also our political influence within the alliance and on the global stage.

A major threat is the health and wellbeing of the force. Operational readiness is directly linked to the physical and mental health of personnel and should be treated as such. High injury rates, long-term sickness, and medical discharges not only reduce the effectiveness of Defence but also increase costs and undermine morale. Addressing these issues is vital to sustaining a capable and resilient Defence.

To address personnel shortfalls, the role of the Reserve Forces should be expanded. However, this must be matched with legislative changes to protect civilian employment for reservists, including enshrining the right to protected training in law. This would ensure that the Reserve Forces are better integrated into Defence strategy, providing a flexible and cost-effective means of enhancing the UK’s military capacity. Reserves have made the commitment to Serve, they should be allowed the opportunity.

Public attitudes towards Defence also present a strategic challenge. Negative perceptions of those who Serve, often characterised by the "mad, bad, and sad" narrative, can be exploited by external actors to weaken national resolve and support for Defence. This narrative must be countered to strengthen public support and ensure that UK’s Defence is seen as a valued and integral part of national security.

In conclusion, the UK's Defence strategy for 2024-2050 must prioritise personnel sustainability, inclusive personnel development, and modernisation to ensure operational readiness. A proactive approach to recruitment, health, research and public perception is essential to maintaining a capable and resilient Defence that can effectively navigate the complex threats of the future.

This response is focused on these aspects outlined, and not the wider threats faced. Other highly qualified and eminent responses should be considered in this regard.

Propose, in order of priority, the roles UK Defence must be capable of fulfilling 2024-2040. 

This response is focused exclusively on health and wellbeing, recognising it as a critical threat to Defence capability. The roles UK Defence must prioritise to address this challenge are (in order):

1. Defence must prioritise the physical and mental health of its personnel to ensure sustained operational readiness and resilience. Improved health outcomes are essential for the effectiveness and longevity of the force.
2. Defence should invest in advanced health technologies to support better monitoring, tracking, and management of personnel health. This includes the development and integration of systems that allow for proactive health interventions and efficient resource management. Defence should own these technology innovations. This includes digital interventions, use of secondary Defence data for research, and expanded academic collaborations.
3. Defence must minimise the dependency on external industry contractors by ensuring that systems are interoperable, and that data can be transferred seamlessly between providers where necessary. Where third-party services are required, the ability to transition between providers without disruption must be ensured. Where third party services are required, they must be required to train Defence personnel, and be compelled to sign the Armed Forces Covenant.
4. Defence should focus on building internal capabilities in digital by upscaling its personnel and strategically use Reserve Forces. This approach will reduce long-term external costs and enhance Defence’s self-reliance in providing critical services.
5. Defence should leverage (and capture) civilian expertise of Reserve Forces to bolster Defence’s health capabilities. This will create a robust and flexible support structure that can adapt to evolving challenges and ensure that Defence is well-prepared for future operational demands.

By prioritising these roles, UK Defence will be better equipped to maintain a capable and resilient standing fighting force, ensuring that health and wellbeing are integral to its strategic success from 2024 to 2040.

Propose in order of priority what defence capability (as a function, not defined as equipment or organisation) UK Defence requires to deliver the roles required of it 2024-2050.  This should distinguish between:  - The capability required for enduring, standing commitments and tasks, or to be held at high readiness.  - The capability required on mobilisation in times of crisis.

No comment.

Describe how existing UK Defence capability and the current 10-year programme match the demands of the roles and capabilities identified for 2024-2040, highlighting and prioritising critical gaps. Identify areas that require urgent attention to ameliorate immediate strategic level risks or vulnerabilities, including in logistic support and medical capability.

The current state of UK Defence capability and the 10-year programme reveals significant gaps that must be urgently addressed to meet the demands for 2024-2040. Defence has consistently failed to meet recruitment targets, creating a shortage of personnel that weakens operational readiness. Therefore, the highest priority should be improving recruitment and retention, particularly during Phase 1 and Phase 2 training where personnel are often discharged due to injury or leave due to the misleading promotional material suggesting Defence life is ‘easy’. Retaining long-term Service personnel, who are considering transitioning out of Defence, is equally crucial as their expertise is invaluable and difficult to replace.

Also, there are critical gaps in logistic and medical capabilities that require immediate attention. The current infrastructure is not robust to support future demands, particularly in high-tempo operational environments. To mitigate these vulnerabilities, Defence must implement strategic retention programmes, focus on reducing dropout rates in early training, and bolster medical and logistic support systems. Addressing these issues is essential to maintaining a capable and resilient Defence in the face of evolving global challenges.

Propose how UK Defence's contribution to NATO should be enhanced as a driving requirement of capability and activity, including through prioritising defence export potential.

No comment.

Describe how the current support to Ukraine is integrated into UK Defence programmes and activities and propose measures in priority order to sustain and enhance this support to at least 2027.

The current support to Ukraine has been integrated into UK Defence programmes, but this has come at the expense of training our own personnel. While supporting Ukraine is vital, it should not take precedence over the needs of UK Defence. The integration of this support should be balanced, ensuring that UK training systems are not compromised. To sustain and enhance support to Ukraine until at least 2027, it is crucial to allocate resources effectively, ensuring that both UK Defence needs and international commitments are met without undermining the training and preparedness of UK forces. 

Simply put, priority should be given to maintaining robust UK training programmes while continuing to provide necessary support to Ukraine, ensuring that both objectives are achieved in parallel.

Describe what advancing UK Defence from a multi-domain to an integrated force concept means and identify the key characteristics of each, including the relationship with non-kinetic means and resources.

No comment.

Describe and recommend how the UK Defence homebase is made secure and resilient in confrontation, crisis and conflict, including in enabling full mobilisation and campaign endurance when needed.

To ensure the UK Defence homebase is secure and resilient during confrontation, crisis, and conflict, the recruitment and retention of Reserve Forces must be a priority. Developing depth of skill within the Reserve Forces is key, as their current training opportunities are limited. For example, Combat Medical Technicians in the Reserve Forces are restricted to CMT 3 and CMT 2 levels, without access to CMT 1 training, which is available only to regular forces. This is the same across many different speciality trades. This limitation hampers progression and reduces overall capability. Expanding specialist training for Reserve Forces, while potentially increasing liability, will enhance their effectiveness and ensure that the UK Defence homebase is prepared for mobilisation and sustained campaign endurance when needed.

Propose how UK Defence rapidly becomes a global pacesetter in how Digital Age technology evolves equipment, organisation and method across all aspects of capability, identifying the first major steps to be taken in each domain, how quickly this can be achieved, and recommend what legacy capability currently in service and in the extant future plans should be modified or dropped.

To rapidly become a global pacesetter in the evolution of Digital Age technology, UK Defence must undergo a significant cultural shift, particularly in recognising and valuing digital skills, especially within the Army. Current Defence culture prioritises training only for specific trade-relevant skills, which limits the identification and use of digital talent. The first major step is to overhaul training programmes to include broader digital skill development and to actively identify and harness talent, such as through events like the Defence Hackathon. This does not mean giving each trainee an iPad, but developing in-depth digital skills such as software development, cyber security, systems management etc. 

Additionally, legacy systems that do not support this digital transformation should be critically reviewed and either modified or phased out. Only with these changes can Defence effectively integrate advanced digital capabilities across all domains. Further Defence should seek to embrace digital interventions for supporting, managing an intervening in health; leverage data for predictive analytics and seek to embrace high-value based healthcare.

Propose how UK Defence builds and sustains a relationship with technology providers and industry (major primes and SME) that enables the technology choices that will drive globally pace-setting modernisation and transformation.

To build and sustain a transformative relationship with technology providers and industry, UK Defence must focus on several key strategies. First, interoperability and transferability of software (including systems) should be prioritised in contracts to avoid vendor lock-in and ensure seamless integration across platforms. Defence should commit to fair market pricing, challenging unjustified price hikes, especially for software that hasn’t seen significant development. Leveraging its collective bargaining power, Defence can hold suppliers accountable, ensuring they deliver value and adhere to ethical standards.

Contracts should require suppliers to participate in the Armed Forces Covenant at the Bronze level (Defence Recognition Scheme), reinforcing a commitment to supporting Defence personnel. Additionally, Defence should collaborate with technology providers to establish clear training and development pathways for its personnel, ensuring they remain at the cutting edge of technological innovation. Finally, fostering long-term partnerships with both major primes and SMEs will allow Defence to integrate innovation from smaller, agile companies alongside the stability offered by larger firms. This comprehensive approach will enable UK Defence to drive globally pace-setting modernisation and transformation.

Propose how UK Defence acquisition and support (for all classes of equipment) continues to modernise to: maintain pace with key technology, enable the transition to an integrated force, advance interoperability in NATO, and deliver agile, cost-effective acquisition and support at optimum value for money.

No comment.

Propose measures in priority order that establish how UK Defence transitions to the optimum balance of regular, reserve, civil servant, and industry people across all standing tasks and commitments and on mobilisation. Recommend the recruitment, education, training and retention measures required to achieve this.

To transition to the optimal balance of regular, reserve, civil servant, and industry personnel across all standing tasks and mobilisation, UK Defence should prioritise the following measures:

1. Focus on targeted recruitment strategies for regular and Reserve Forces, addressing current shortfalls outline in this response. Enhance retention by offering career progression, improving work-life balance, and recognising experience.
2. Invest in comprehensive education and training, especially for Reserve Forces, enabling access to advanced and specialist courses to build depth of skill. Incorporate more flexible, digital-based training solutions for civil servants and military personnel.
3. Leverage the civilian expertise of Reserve Forces, ensuring they are integrated strategically into Defence operations. Update legislation to protect their civilian employment and provide guaranteed access to training.
4. Expand collaboration with the private sector to share skills and knowledge, with flexible arrangements to integrate industry personnel into Defence tasks when required.
5. Foster specialised roles for civil servants to support logistics, technology, and administration, reducing reliance on external contractors. Provide ongoing professional development opportunities to sustain a high level of operational support.

By implementing these recruitment, education, and retention measures, UK Defence can create a sustainable, flexible, and balanced workforce that meets its standing tasks and mobilises efficiently when necessary.

Propose the digital enablement required by an Integrated Force across all domains and to recommend and prioritise the steps to accelerate this transformation to place UK Defence as a global pacesetter in this area.

To digitally enable an Integrated Force focused on health and wellbeing, UK Defence should prioritise key measures. First, a centralised health data system will track personnel health and wellbeing, enabling efficient care management and early intervention. Wearable technologies and AI-supported analytics can enhance proactive health monitoring, improving the early detection of physical and mental health issues. Integrated digital health records will ensure continuity of care across postings. Expanding telemedicine and virtual healthcare will provide remote treatment options, particularly for deployed personnel. 

Digital tools for mental health support, such as resilience apps, should be developed to improve overall mental health care. Examples already exist, such as the DrinksRation, ACTVet and MeT4VeT apps developed by King’s College London and used across the Armed Forces Community. Additionally, robust data security and interoperability standards will ensure safe, seamless sharing of health information across all services.

By implementing these digital solutions, Defence will not only improve the health and wellbeing of its personnel but also significantly enhance operational effectiveness. Healthier, better-supported personnel are more resilient, reducing downtime due to illness or injury, and improving overall readiness. This ensures that Defence is fully capable of sustaining operations and responding swiftly to emerging threats, making it a global leader in digital healthcare for military personnel.

Propose how individual and collective education and training across all elements of Defence delivers the character and skills required by an Integrated Force for the challenges and requirements of 2024-2040, recommending the optimum division of responsibility between all elements of UK Defence and allies/partners for delivering this and identifying how the rapid and continuous application of new technology enables this.

To ensure UK Defence develops the culture and skills required for an Integrated Force between 2024 and 2040, there must be a focused effort on expanding educational opportunities, enabling career growth, skill development, and personal advancement. Collaboration with educational institutions, such as universities and colleges, should be significantly increased to offer diverse learning opportunities that foster advanced skills, critical thinking, and cross-disciplinary expertise.

One key area for improvement is the Educational and Training Services (ETS), which currently restricts eligibility to those with teaching qualifications at the primary or secondary education levels. This limits the ambition of Defence education, as highly skilled professionals, such as university lecturers with Doctrates, are unable to contribute. Broadening the eligibility for ETS to include individuals with higher academic qualifications would open up Defence to a wealth of expertise and elevate the standard of education offered. If Defence only relies on individuals with high school teaching experience, the ambition and depth of the educational content will remain limited to that level.

Further, offering Defence personnel opportunities for career changes through advanced educational programmes would enhance adaptability within the force. By facilitating skill development in new areas, personnel can transition more smoothly between different operational roles, which is vital for a modern, flexible Integrated Force.

Digital technologies should be incorporated into education and training, enabling continuous skill development through online learning platforms, simulations, and virtual environments. By using these modern educational tools, Defence can ensure that personnel are constantly upgrading their capabilities to match the rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Additionally, partnerships with private industry and educational institutions would further enhance the breadth of opportunities available, allowing Defence personnel to access specialised knowledge in fields such as cybersecurity, AI, and data analytics. These partnerships would provide new pathways for skill development, ensuring the force remains cutting-edge and globally competitive.

In conclusion, to achieve the level of educational ambition required for 2024-2040, UK Defence must broaden its approach to education by collaborating with higher education institutions, opening ETS eligibility, embracing technology, and focusing on skill development that aligns with future operational challenges. This approach will ensure the force remains adaptive, forward-thinking, and prepared to meet the strategic demands of the future.

Propose how the maritime (including littoral) domain is developed to contribute to an Integrated Force, recommending measures that accelerate modernisation and transformation and identifying existing capabilities and programmes that do not support this.

No comment.

Propose how the land domain is developed to contribute to an Integrated Force, recommending measures that accelerate modernisation and transformation and identifying existing capabilities and programmes that do not support this.

No comment.

Propose how the air and space domains are developed to contribute to an Integrated Force, recommending measures that accelerate modernisation and transformation and identifying existing capabilities and programmes that do not support this.

No comment.

Propose how UK Special Forces are developed as part of an Integrated Force and in support of UK National Security and resilience.

No comment.

Propose how Defence Medical Services ensures the levels of primary, secondary and tertiary medical support are in place for standing tasks and for mobilisation for the demands of operational context of 2024- 2040. Identify the optimum mix of Regular, Reserve, civil servant, NHS and industry capability required and recommend urgent and essential measures to ameliorate major extant risks in priority order.

To ensure the Defence Medical Services (DMS) provides adequate primary, secondary, and tertiary medical support for standing tasks and mobilisation from 2024 to 2040, several measures must be implemented. There is a critical need to address the issue of basic medical standards, such as routine dental inspections and health checks, which are not being met consistently. For Reserve Forces, allowing access to civilian healthcare providers for routine checks, with costs reimbursed, would help reduce strain on military medical services and ensure readiness for deployment.

Additionally, significant waiting lists for medical treatment pose a threat to operational effectiveness, limiting personnel's ability to deploy. This issue must be prioritised by streamlining services and increasing capacity within the DMS. Regular service auditing and quality assessments should be conducted to monitor the standards of medical care provided. Partnering with academic institutions to research existing health data would enable data-driven improvements to healthcare delivery.

Further exploitation of resources like the Academic Department of Military Mental Health and other military-funded research units is essential. Their research can help inform better mental health services and overall medical readiness within the armed forces. To meet the demands of 2024-2040, DMS should adopt an optimal mix of Regular, Reserve, civil servant, NHS, and industry capabilities. Priority must be given to addressing current medical capacity shortfalls, improving service delivery, and ensuring that the health and readiness of personnel are maintained at the highest standards.

In conclusion, DMS must focus on improving routine medical checks, reducing waiting lists, enhancing collaboration with academic institutions, and optimising the use of Reserve and civilian medical capacities to meet future operational demands.

Describe the current utilisation and condition of all aspects of Defence Estate and recommend how to accelerate restoring all Married and Single Living accommodation to standards recognised as acceptable by the Services. Make recommendations in priority order for estate rationalisation and disposal at best value to Defence and identify how to improve and modernise support to Defence estate.

The current condition of the Defence Estate, especially Married and Single Living accommodation, falls below acceptable standards. To restore these accommodations, UK Defence must prioritise meeting industry standards across the rental sector, not just military standards. By doing so, quality of life for personnel and their families will significantly improve, enhancing retention and morale.

To accelerate restoration, Defence should conduct a full audit of all housing to identify priority areas for refurbishment. Rationalisation and disposal of underutilised or non-strategic assets should be pursued to fund these improvements. Additionally, modernising the support infrastructure for the Defence Estate through partnerships with industry and more efficient property management systems will ensure long-term sustainability and better living conditions for personnel.

Propose how to improve financial management and administration across Defence, meeting HMG standards of accountability and identifying how more rapid adoption of digital technology will modernise culture, organisation and ways of working.

No comment.

Propose how UK Defence can build relationships with allies, partners and alliances as a strategic strength for the UK

No comment.

The Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force each invited to review their culture, organisation, training and institutional habits, describe how they reinforce modern war fighting imperatives, and recommend where changes are required as part of the modernisation of defence to be captured in this Review.

This has been covered in other elements of the response.